today we have a guest post from melissa vandermeer of zayth - a new online marketplace for moms who want to rock out their life, and are looking for the information that will help!

Do you want to infuse your little biz with an instant dose of energy?

Do you want to build your mailing list and attract thousands of targeted customers?

Do you want to be viewed as an expert in your niche?

Do you want a new way to market your business?

Well, my friend, you need an information product that delivers, is kickass awesome, and reflects your business ideals and values perfectly.

And before you say “But, I can’t really write an eBook to go with my biz!” consider this: an information product does not have to be an eBook! You could create a short guide, a checklist, a printable planning sheet, a podcast, a webinar, a course delivered over a few days or weeks, a how to, a directory… the possibilities are endless. Just think of what information your customers would need, and then think of how you could package it and deliver it.

Here are 5 great reasons to put your head down and create an information product that will take your small business to the next level:

1. Achieve Expert Status

First and foremost, an information product is an effective way of achieving the expert status that most business owners want. If you’re in a competitive niche, chances are you’re a small fish in a big pond. Putting together a seriously awesome information product will help you stand out, share your knowledge, and establish your expertise in the industry.

2. Provide Value to Your Customers

Next and most importantly, you will be adding a lot of value to the relationship you have with your existing customers. They will not only come to recognize and know the person behind the brand and business, but will also glean a lot of useful information from your information product.

Let’s say you’re in the cloth diapering industry. This is a niche that is quite small and competitive. By creating a series of podcasts or, even a series of small but well-organized eBooks, you can easily establish expert status AND help your customers know more about cloth diapering. Alternatively, you could put together a free cloth diapering eCourse for new moms and help them identify the best cloth nappy for their baby and lifestyle, as well as how to use, wash and care for cloth nappies.

3. Reach Newer Audiences

While you would be adding value to existing customer relationships, you will also be reaching new target audiences thanks to your information product. Yes, you see, content-rich and well-organized information products are often shared widely.

Karen recently put together a series of inspiring and awesome ‘little biz’ graphics that reflect what she feels passionately about – the little biz, the mumpreneur’s biz, the eco biz, and more. She spent time and effort to create these graphics and then, gave them away to us. And what did we do? We shared them. On Facebook, on Pinterest, on our own blogs. Yes, we helped spread Karen’s awesomeness far and wide and led more mums with little biz’ straight to her virtual doorstep!

4. Easy, Effortless Marketing

Creating a free information product is an easy way to market your business. For instance, you create an eBook. You set it up with your email service so that anyone who signs up automatically gets that eBook. Simple, stress-free, and successful marketing.

5. Free Advertising for Your Business

Finally, the information product you create carries your unique branding. It reflects your business values and ideals. It’s infused with your passion for your niche. It makes the perfect ad for your little biz on a little budget. Your brand, business name and, of course, information reaches thousands of potential, interested customers with virtually no cost at all. Why would you pass up this opportunity?

Bonus: Make Some Extra Money

Yes, you can consider selling your information product and actually make some money in the process. Diversification or products and building multiple sources of income are key when you’re a small biz, so why not add information products to your list of offerings? You establish expertise, reach newer markets, and make money in the process. Plus these are great passive forms of income; once you create them and set up the system to sell/deliver them your work is done. Win!

So, what’s holding you back from creating an information product to build your little biz? Add your comments - we can address them in a future post!

Creating an information product for your little biz? Sign up here for the Zayth newsletter and let us help you sell more of it! Melissa Vandermeer is the founder of Zayth, an online, virtual storefront for digital products and services. Launching in May 2012, Zayth will be your go-to, one-stop resource for eBooks, eCourses, and services. Pop over to the facebook page to say hi!